Ting Zhu, Tiantian Xie, Yao Yao
Microgrids follow a paradigm of on-site distributed energy management that differs from traditional centralized utility-driven control in the larger electrical grid. This key architectural difference raises a number of new challenges in designing a sustainable microgrid. First, the overall energy management is more complex. Second, self-sustaining microgrids with local generators (mostly non-renewable) today are deployed only in commercial and enterprise settings, e.g., a university or a company campus, where all buildings are owned by a single entity and connected with alternating current (AC) circuits. Deployments in typical residential areas with high penetration of renewable energy and direct current (DC) circuits are rare.